Exploring art from the Middle East

INTERNATIONAL artists from across the Middle East have come together for a successful exhibition at two city venues.

New Ends, Old Beginnings is still on show at the Bluecoat, featuring eleven artists from countries such as Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

The exhibition was curated by Istanbul-based November Paynter, who wanted to explore the intertwining of ancient and modern Middle Eastern societies.

A mix of installation, photography and drawings, the work spans mediums to illustrate the diversity of urban experience in the Arab regions.

Artists involved in the exhibition, of which work can also be seen at the Open Eye gallery, include Can Altay Ziad Antar, Lara Baladi, Tarek Al Ghoussein, Randa Mirza, and Sharif Waked.

New Ends, Old Beginnings investigates the Arab region through artists' responses to local and everyday culture.

The cities of the Arab region are incredibly diverse in their form and character, including sites of ancient civilisation, as well as some of the most youthful urban establishments in the world. Similarly, their heritage and contemporary culture are varied and complex - while cities such as Baghdad struggle in the midst of war to protect their museums and architectural heritage, others like Cairo attempt to balance tensions between ancient history and 21st-century culture.

Bryan Biggs, artistic director of the Bluecoat said: "We felt it would be good in Capital of Culture year, and its original tag World in One City. For most of the artists, it is the first time they have exhibited in the UK.

"It is not a political exhibition, but rather one about the history of these places, interaction and human experiences.

"A lot of the artists play with the idea of another reality. Life is so traumatic, with occupation and war, what is normality in the Middle East?"

Works have been commissioned and selected with reference to themes of heritage, cultural industry and tourism, as well as the possibility for art to communicate daily realities of urban life.

Artist Tarek Zaki will be at the Bluecoat to give a talk about his work at 6pm on Thursday.

His cement sculptures are laid out as if they are newly-found archeological remains that will forever remain in limbo.

We felt it would be good in Capital of Culture year

vickyanderson@dailypost.co.uk